Bringing you our beautiful paper mache Ayyapan bommai. Known as Shastha, Ayyappan is the son of Harihara and the lord of Shabari Malai. He is worshipped throughout India, but mainly in the southern state of Kerala. Here is the story of the lord: Mahishi, a ruthless demoness, was at large, terrorizing the people of Pandalam. To stop her, Lord Shiva and Vishnu, in the form of Mohini, came together and created a divine child, gifted with the powers to defeat Mahishi. After tying a gold chain with a small bell around his neck, they sent the divine child to Earth. One day, King Rajashekhara was visiting a forest, when he found the abandoned infant. Seeing as the King and his consort were childless, Rajashekhara took the divine child to a sage, who advised him to adopt him. The child was named Manikanthan, after a bell (mani) that was tied around his neck (Kantha). Soon after, the Queen gave birth to another son of her own - and thus started to alienate Manikanthan. While her husband wanted Manikanthan to succeed him, the Queen wanted her biological son to be the heir to the throne. In an attempt to get rid of Manikanthan, she feigned a fatal illness that could only be cured by the milk of a tigress. Confident that the ruthless tigers would kill the mere child, she sent her adoptive son to find a tigress. However, Manikanthan was no mere child. A loving and righteous son, he at once set off to the forest. However, he was quickly ambushed by the demoness Mahishi. With his divine powers, he was able to defeat the demoness, thus fulfilling his main purpose on earth. After seeing the immense strength and divinity of Manikantha, a streak of tigers and tigresses accepted him as their leader. The lord, mounted on a tiger, comfortably rode back to the palace, accompanied by the rest of the streak. Golu is a doll and figurine tradition, performed during the festival of Navaratri. It is a padi (set of steps) decorated with Bommais (dolls), of all shapes and sizes. Each doll represents a Hindu figure or a classic story. With its intricate detail and vibrant colours, this Ayyappan doll is an excellent addition to your Golu display.